1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a press-connecting connector having press-connecting terminals and a plurality of terminal receiving chambers for receiving the press-connecting terminals in a neatly-arranged manner.
2. Background
A conventional press-connecting connector as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,094 will now be described with reference to FIG. 13. In this connector, a press-connecting terminal 1 includes an electrical connection portion 5 formed at its front portion for connection to a mating terminal, a press-connecting portion 6 formed at its central portion for press-connecting a wire thereto from the upper side, and a wire fixing portion 7 formed at its rear end portion for compressively holding the outer peripheral surface of the wire. This press-connecting terminal is formed into an integral construction by blanking an electrically-conductive, thin metal sheet. The electrical connection portion 5 has a female configuration having a pair of curved piece portions, and is adapted to snugly receive the mating pin-like terminal (not shown) therein. The press-connecting portion 6 has press-connecting blades 11 which cut an insulating sheath of the sheathed wire when the sheathed wire is press-fitted into these blades 11, thereby making an electrical connection between the blades 11 and a conductor of the sheathed wire. The wire fixing portion 7 includes a pair of crimp arms 13 which are deformed by a press-connecting tool (not shown) to compressively embrace the outer peripheral surface of the sheathed wire. The crimp arms 13 are thus deformed, thereby clamping the wire against withdrawal from the terminal.
A connector housing 3 includes a horizontal base plate 17, and a plurality of partition walls 16 formed upright on this base plate to form terminal receiving chambers 2 juxtaposed in a lateral direction. The press-connecting terminal 1 is received in the terminal receiving chamber 2, and is held in position by the horizontal base plate 17, the partition walls 16 and an upper outer wall 19 formed at a front portion of the housing.
The press-connecting terminal 1 is inserted into the associated terminal receiving chamber 2, with the electrical connection portion 5 directed forwardly, as indicated by arrow A in FIG. 13, and then is engaged with a retaining projection, formed on the partition wall 16 or the horizontal base plate 17, to be retained against withdrawal. In this kind of press-connecting connector, before the sheathed wire can be press-fitted into the press-connecting terminal 1, received in the terminal receiving chamber 2, from the upper side to effect a wire connection operation, that portion of the upper outer wall 19 corresponding to the press-connecting portion 6 and the wire fixing portion 7 of the press-connecting terminal 1 is removed or cut.
FIGS. 14(a)-(c) show such a wire connection operation in the conventional press-connecting connector. The sheathed wire 20 is press-fitted into the press-connecting terminal 1, received in the terminal receiving chamber 2, by a descending crimper 21 of the press-connecting tool. FIGS. 14(a) to 14(c) show a sequential press-connecting operation proceeding in accordance with the downward movement of the crimper 21. More specifically, FIG. 14(a) shows a stage immediately before the sheathed wire 20 is press-fitted into the press-connecting terminal 1 by the crimper 21. FIG. 14(b) shows a stage in which the sheathed wire 20 begins to be press-fitted into a slit 23 between the press-connecting blades 11 by the crimper 21, and at the same time the distal end portions of the crimp arms 13 are curved toward the sheathed wire 20 by a crimp formation surface 24 formed on the crimper 21, thus starting the clamping deformation of the crimp arms 13.
FIG. 14(c) shows a stage in which the crimper moves downward to a lower limit to complete the press-fitting operation. Thereafter, the crimper 21 moves upward, and is returned to its initial position.
In the condition shown in FIG. 14(c), the insulating sheath 25 of the sheathed wire, press-fitted in the slit 23 between the press-connecting blades 11, is cut by the press-connecting blades 11, so that an electrical connection between the conductor 26 and the press-connecting blades 11 is created. The crimp arms 13 at the rear end portion of the terminal are firmly clamped to the insulating sheath 25 of the sheathed wire 20 in embracing relation to the sheathed wire 20.
At this time, the crimp arms 13 are much deformed and curved by the pressing force applied from the crimper 21, thus achieving a compressive holding effect, as shown in the drawings. To facilitate this deformation and also to increase the strength of adhesion of the press-connecting terminal 1 to the housing after the completion of the deformation, each partition wall 16 has a recess or recesses 28 for curving the crimp arm 13 properly during the deformation of the crimp arm 13.
In the above conventional connector, for deforming each crimp arm 13 for clamping purposes, a reaction force from the partition wall 16 against which the crimp arm 13 is held is utilized effectively.
In the above conventional connector, however, in the case where each partition wall 16 has a reduced thickness as a result of a compact connector design, the adjacent partition walls 16 are deformed or forced outwardly away from each other as a result of abutment of the crimp arms 13 against the respective partition walls 16, thus damaging the housing, as shown in FIG. 15. Also, there is a risk that the crimper 21, acting on the adjoining terminal, will impinge on the thus deformed partition wall 16, so the clamping deformation of this terminal can not be effected.